Emulsifier



United States Patent [54] EMULSIFIER 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

52 0.5.0 259/4 51 InLCl B01t15/00 50 FieldofSearch 259/4,18,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.120.377 2/1964 Lipschultz et a1 259/4 2.740.616 4/1956 Walden 259/4 3,167,305 1/1965 Backx et a1. 259/4 FOREIGN PATENTS 176,438 7/1935 Switzerland 259/4 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Jenkins Attorney-Waters. Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen ABSTRACT: An emulsifier constituted by a coil spring in stalled longitudinally in a tubularcasing and wherein a plurality of longitudinally spaced internal and external partitions are mounted in alternation between the: coils of the spring to cause undulating flow of liquid between the partitions and through the coils of the spring.

EMULSIFIER The present invention relates to apparatus for making emulsions from immiscible liquids.

Preparation of emulsions from liquids is required in a number of chemical and electrochemical processes, such as in cathodic hydrodimerization of acrylonitrile which proceeds in a mixture of acrylonitrile with an aqueous solution of potassium phosphate. The completeness of the reaction and the yield with respect to product and current depend on the size of the droplets of the disperse phase.

The emulsions become perfectly stable when the droplets of the disperse phase are infinitely small (fractions of a micron) which is rather difficult to attain in a number of cases in the known devices, all the more so when large volumes are involved. Therefore, emulsification proceeds during the entire process with a constant circulation of the mixture through the emulsifier, particularly when the function of the reaction apparatus is performed by an electrolyzer.

Known in the art is an apparatus for mixing liquids with the purpose of obtaining emulsions, this apparatus having a tubular casing and accommodating a device forming zigzag passages for the handled liquids. Flowing through the zigzag passages, these liquids become turbulent and this turbulence breaks up the liquid into rninute droplets.

However, this apparatus fails to ensure sufficient dispersing of low-viscosity liquids. In addition, this apparatus cannot be efficiently used when it becomes necessary to use liquids of a different viscosity since it has no regulator for adjusting the cross section of the zigzag passages.

An object of the present invention resides in eliminatingthe aforesaid disadvantages.

Another object of the invention is to provide an emulsifier ensuring a more efficient mixing of readily. separating liquids and keeping them emulsified, and inclusive of regulators enabling the emulsifier to be used with liquids of different viscosities.

This object is achieved by providing an emulsifier, wherein, according to the invention, the zigzag passages are formed by a tubular element mounted along the casing, said element being provided with liquidpervious walls and alternating internal and external transverse partitions.

It is practicable to make the tubular element in the form of a coiled spring and/or provide it with a device, particularly an adjusting screw, for compressing or stretching the spring with a view to changing the size of the gaps between its coils.

Now the invention will be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through the emulsifier, ac-

cording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section of the same emulsifier taken along the line lI-ll of FIG. 1.

The emulsifier consists of a tubular casing 1 (F 165. l and 2) accommodating a device forming zigzag passages for the handled liquids which are mixed for producing emulsions. This device is a tubular element 2 made in the shape of a coiled spring with internal partitions 3 and external partitions 4 located along the length of the spring. The internal partitions are disc shaped while the external ones are annular.

The partitions are installed alternately to make the stream of liquid pass through the gaps between the spring coils.

One end of the casing 1 has a cover 5 which carries an adjusting screw 6 with a lock nut 7, said screw bearing against a plug 8. The cover 5 has ports 9 for the passage of the prepared emulsion. One end of the coiled spring bears against the plug 8 whereas the other end bears against an inlet pipe 10 secured on the emulsifier casing by means of a flange 11. The cover 5 and the flange 11 are connected to the casing l by bolts 13 on gaskets 12.

The emulsifier functions as follows: The liquids to be mixed are fed into the pipe 10.

The stream of these liquids is obstructed by the disc shaped partition 3 which breaks the stream into a number of sprays passing through the gaps between the coils of the coiled spring 2 towards the internal wall of the emulsifier casing l.

Thereat the stream of liquid encounters an annular partition 4 and, in order to pass through the hole of the next annular coils of the coiled spring 2. In this manner the stream of liquid is broken down into small sprays several times, passing through the gaps between the spring coils and flowing past the partitions, which form the zigzag passages. This intermixing of the liquid streams produces an emulsion which flows past the plug 8 and is discharged through the ports 9 in the cover 5.

Should it become necessary to change the size of the gaps between the coils of the spring, the screw 6 is rotated as required and the plug Sis shifted in the appropriate direction.

The changes in the width of the gaps may be necessitated by different viscosities and degrees of lemulsification of the liquids being mixed.

The screw 6 can be substituted by any other device capable of compressing or stretching the spring, such as, for example, a cam mechanism.

The coiled spring can be substituted by a perforated tube.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in the description, it will be understood that various modifications and changes within the spirit and the scope of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. An emulsifier comprising: an elongated tubular casing; a tubular coil spring installed longitudinally in said casing and having liquid-pervious spaces between adjacent coils; a plubeing solid and liquid impervious whereas the transverse partitions outside the coil spring are annular in shape and have center openings within the casing to block liquid flow therepast whereby liquid is caused to flow in an undulating path through coils of the spring and through the center of the outside partitions and around the inside partitions, and means for compressing or stretching said coil spring in order to change the width of the gaps between its. coils.

2. An emulsifier as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for compressing or stretching said coil spring comprises an adjusting screw acting on said coil spring.

3. An emulsifier as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring has one end secured in said tube, and said means which compresses or stretches the spring is engaged with the spring at the other end thereof. 

